Acidic Properties
by Isilithix
Summary: Re-Write. Even before Naruto's Shinobi career starts, it's over. Grave losses have ripped his dream away from him. The Kyuubi is silent and does nothing to help. No one does...No one can...Until Naruto meets a dying myth. Is this a gift? Or a curse?
1. Chapter 1

Acidic Properties

* * *

It was a dark and stormy day. The sky was full of dark grey and black sagging clouds full of condensing droplets of water. The ground, far below the dark and dreary clouds, was awash with muddy water and a slowly enveloping mist that rolled over paths, thickets and small clearings. The rocky hills and small mountains were dangerous to try crossing due to the soaked, slippery rocks and saggy, muddy ground that rested under the rocks.

Far above, the sun's was being blocked out the dark clouds, and the only light that shed on the world were the strongest rays of light and the seemingly endless flashes of lightning; which was echoed by the dark, angry sounding rumbling of thunder. Down below, on the drenched earth, the animals, insects, reptiles and birds found shelter and the worms came out of hiding, lest they be drowned in their tiny earthen tunnels.

For humans, it would have been an extremely dangerous day to try to make their way through the thick forests and edge slowly closer to a large human populated area that seemed to be far off in the distance; the dreariness of the day could make even the most positive thinkers pessimistic at the sight. For humans, the best thing to do, would to find shelter in a cave, not under a giant tree...Or any tree for that matter. After all, metal isn't the only thing lightning seems to yearn for.

Usually the highest point is struck by lightning as it arches down to earth, should there be no metal in close proximity that is. Trees are just some of nature's many different lightning rods. To take shelter under a tree would have been suicide. The point of which a bolt of lightning strikes anything, was estimated to be about four times hotter than the surface of the sun. Although survivors of such scary events are noted, it still isn't exactly a safe or sane thing to do. Luckily for one man, far away from home and not yet close enough to the seemingly far off populated region beyond the hills, seas of green trees and small mountains; he had the smarts.

First thing he did as he entered the lightning hurling giant's throwing distance, was to abandon all metal objects he had, less of a chance to be struck by lightning.

The second thing he did was that he kept moving, only taking shelter under trees if absolutely needed; as he made his way through the forested hills. Third, he was constantly on the look for a safe place to bunk down and ride out the storm.

Using the flashes of lightning for scarce flashes of potentially eye damaging light as torches, the man carefully made his way up the side of a small mountain, also known as a 'Foot-Hill', to where he thought he had spotted a cave.

"Ho-" the man stuttered to himself as he slipped on a rock he had stepped on before catching himself. "How did I get into this?" Pulling himself up onto a small, slippery ledge, near the mouth of the cave; the man thought back to week before.

00oo00

_"Well, well, well...If it isn't Ban Shogo! Long time no see!" A tall black haired woman with an attractive body called out as she entered a small bar near the south-east outskirts of Earth Country. The man in question, short red hair and a cigarette in his mouth, jumped at the mentioning of his name. He almost pissed himself as he realized who it was._

_"E-Eri? Is that you?" the red haired man asked slowly, hoping that it was truly the woman she seemed to be and not someone trying to bait him. He was, after all, a Nuke-Nin now._

_"Who else do you know from Iwa who'd rather jump you and haul you to the closest bed, rather than back to the prison cells?" The black haired woman asked as she made her way towards Shogo, sitting on his right._

_"Well, there is Asuka-San..." Shogo chuckled nervously, blushing slightly as the black haired woman on his right glared at him._

_"And to think, I thought it was funny when you finally found out that Asuka-San wasn't a top heavy man but a healthy young girl like yours truly." Eri stated dryly. "Anyway, I didn't come for a quickie."_

_"Really?" Shogo eyed her wearily. "Then why did you track me down?" Eri sighed and ordered a drink before continuing._

_"Tsuchikage-Sama asked me to find you...To extend a hand to you, so as to speak." the black haired woman stated after sipping at her sake._

_"I thought he was the kind of man who'd rather smash those who ran away, then to offer them a place back in the corps." Shogo asked, looking at his old friend oddly._

_"Usually...But I think old age is finally getting to him." Eri stated with a small grin. Shogo mirrored her grin and for a couple of moments, they stayed like that._

_Suddenly, her grin vanished. "However, his hand is not something you can just grab without expecting something." Shogo nodded._

_"If I get to come back and make love with you every day of my life, I'll gladly do whatever the old fart says." Eri blushed heavily at the red head's proclamation. "I mean, how hard can it be?"_

_"Normally, I'd be asking myself that, Sho-Chan..." Eri stated softly. "But a lot of things have changed since the Third War and the Yondaime of Konoha's rampage through our forces." Shogo scoffed._

_"Like what? Did he finally get the man's face printed on every training target in the village?"_

_"Haven't you been keeping up to date?" Eri asked heatedly. "Like how three years ago, Kumo made a grab at the Byakugan and almost started another war with Konohagakure!" Shogo's smirk vanished._

_"What happened?" Shogo asked._

_"The grab was a flop. Stupid guy got the oldest daughter of the head of the clan and met a timely end only minutes afterwards by the girl's father. If it wasn't for the Sandaime Hokage, those two villages would be neck deep in blood and bones by now, and because of our alliance with Kumo, and Suna's with Konoha; the Fourth War would have started by now." Eri said with a sad shake of her head. "For once, I'm glad that the old 'God of Shinobi' is now a peaceful man." Shogo nodded numbly._

_"So..." Shogo started after a couple moments of silence between the two; "What does the old codger want me to do?" Looking at his ex-lover, Shogo found himself staring at a bleary eyed woman. "Eri-"_

_"If I were you...If I were you, Sho-Chan...I wouldn't take it." the woman said softly._

_"Why?" Shogo asked, confused by his old lover's sudden change in attitude._

_"He wants you to infiltrate Konohagakure...And kill off several of the clan heirs." Shogo's eyes widened._

00oo00

"It'll be alright, Eri...I promise..." Shogo thought to himself as he hobbled into the cave. Tired and wet, he sat himself mere feet from the entrance and sighed.

"And soon...You and me, Eri...We'll be making like rabbits."

"_Achoo!"_ The noise made Shogo jump high into the air and reach for his kunai pouch, only to remember he had tossed them aside in hopes of lessening the risk of being struck by lightning. When he landed, he crouched low to the cave's floor, and felt around for anything…Like a sharp rock that had been lying next to him.

'_What was that?'_ the red head asked himself as he juggled the sharp rock in his right hand. Moving deeper into the cave, he looked around for whatever had made the sneeze like sound.

As he ventured deeper and deeper into the cave, Shogo noted that despite the cave being a slightly twisting and winding one; he could clearly see the ground ahead of him when a bolt of lightning arched across the sky or towards the ground, outside of the cave.

As he staggered through the dark, dank cave, Shogo kept swiveling his head around and his movements short, just in case whatever had made the noise was tall, long or fast…like one of those ape like creatures a group of veterans had informed him and his graduating class when he was 8 years old.

"_Achoo! Sniff-sniff…"_ Shogo stopped cold as the noise filled the cave.

"Come out, come out whatever you are…" he said softly as he willed his feet to move forward. _'Unless you're a mountain lion or a bear…Then just stay where you are…'_ Despite his innate fear of the maker of the sound being a man eating creature, Shogo pressed on, going even further into the cave. Due to the dark walls, and four seconds without any bolts of lightning to offer any sort of light; Shogo didn't notice a small drop in the cave's floor and slipped down. Despite being a shinobi, even if he was a Nuke-Nin, Shogo couldn't help yelping as he fell. _'Great! I'm dead!'_

00oo00

It had been hours since the storm started. It was one of those rare storms, the kind that told you to seek cover even before it started. Just the sight of the thick black clouds had warned him to find shelter, and so, that's exactly what young seven year old Uzumaki Naruto did.

He was supposed to be on a team, a team of young shinobi hopefuls who had been given packs of supplies which contained a compass, a sleeping bag, four ration bars, two canteens full of water and a map. The packs also had small knives for both field dressing and defense, if needed.

The one thing that the pack didn't have, was a long range radio. The only ones who had the radios were the proctors of the exam, and needless to say, there weren't any close by when the storm swallowed the area and emptied its payload upon the earth.

'_My team's probably back at the Academy by now.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he pulled his knees to his chest and pressed his back up against the cave wall. _'I wonder if they told anyone that I'm still out here?'_

Naruto was a tough kid. From the time of his birth, he had been an orphan. Like most orphans, he stayed at the local orphanage. Unlike the other orphans at the orphanage, Naruto had to look out for himself. No one in the orphanage wanted to look out for him, he could remember the last time the workers at the orphanage helped him, was when he was three and he needed help unclogging the toilet. Whole rolls of toilet paper did NOT go down the hole... Even the people outside of the orphanage ignored him when they could; of course, when he started pranking people, he started getting some attention, just not the right kind of attention.

No one kissed his boo-boos. No one hugged him when he fell down and scrapped his knees. No one helped him up when he tripped over a stone or a root. No one ran over to stop bullies from beating him up. No one offered him free sodas or drinks. Some nice people gave him free ramen once in a while, but that was probably the only nice thing he had ever gotten from someone, besides the Hokage, though he never knew why he was so nice to him. All in all, compared to his classmates, he was tough.

He knew he wasn't tough enough to handle a two day test by himself in the middle of a storm. Why was he by himself? Because earlier that morning, he had pranked his class, and when the class was separated into groups, his two teammates decided that it would be funny to leave him alone. If it wasn't for the storm, Naruto would have taken that non-vocal bet in a heartbeat.

"_Achoo!"_ Naruto sniffed for a few seconds as he wiped his nose with a finger. He didn't think he caught a cold from the rain, he rarely got sick; but he had been sneezing off and on for a while now; and just his luck, there was nothing in the pack he had been given by the sensei at the academy to deal with colds.

"Ack!" Naruto froze. He wasn't alone. Looking up, he tried to see what had made the noise. He didn't have to try for too long, because almost as soon as he started looking around for whatever had made the noise, a bright bolt of lightning flashed outside, lighting up the cave for a few seconds. Naruto found himself staring at a red headed man, who had fallen down in the dark.

"U-Um…" Naruto started, startling the man as he began; "did Nicchi tell you about me?" the man stood up and looked at him. He stared at him for a little bit, mainly due to the absence of lightning outside. The man took another step towards him, slowly. Naruto couldn't see how close the man was to him, and he couldn't see what the man had; but he hadn't responded, and that made Naruto wary. Even though the instructors didn't like him all that much, they still answered in some form.

"…To think…" the man started, "after all these years, the most feared man of the Third Great Shinobi War, had a bastard child." Naruto squinted, trying to see the man again. "There isn't a person in Iwa who would miss that hair color…that hair _style_…" a flash of lightning lit the cave up for a second or two, and Naruto found himself staring at a very sharp rock in the red haired man's right hand. "The Tsuchikage had better give me a bonus for this…Not even _he_ knew about you, boy…You're father must have done something to hide you from our spies…It isn't too often that our spies are fooled."

"What?" Naruto stared before he was cut off as the man slammed his head against the cave wall, the red haired man's left hand around his neck, holding him in place.

"The son of the Yondaime Hokage…left all alone in the wild…" the man laughed cruelly. "Konoha Nin were always stupid…" another bolt of lightning lit the cave up for an instant, and the man could see Naruto's blue eyes open wide in fearful shock. Thankfully the red haired man didn't notice the shock. "Your father was a monster…Killing men and women left and right…He even killed children. My girlfriend's younger sister…She was only ten…and your father cut her to ribbons…All because she didn't surrender." The man squeezed harder, and Naruto tried to stop the man by moving his small hands and grabbing the red haired man's left arm. Suddenly, the man stabbed his right hand with the sharp rock.

"AHH-ACCK!"

"I'm going to enjoy this…" the man chuckled darkly.

00oo00

"Are all of the students accounted for?" Umino Iruka asked Mizuki as the silver haired man entered the classroom.

"As far as I can tell." The silver haired man replied tiredly. "Of course, I've been in the nurses office with Nicchi and…What's his face…You know, the one that no one remembers." The silver haired man shrugged his shoulders.

"Naruto wasn't with them?" Iruka asked. Mizuki shook his head negatively.

"You know he doesn't need any real medical attention when we get done with these exercises." Mizuki half sneered, Iruka nodded. "I thought he would have just come back here."

"Well, he's not. I haven't seen him since this morning when we handed out the packs and let them loose." Iruka muttered. "Crap…Please, please, please Kami-Sama! Don't tell me that moron is still outside!"

"I can go ask Nicchi and…what's his face, if you want." Mizuki said. "Maybe they know."

"Would you?" Mizuki nodded and went back to the nurse's office to speak with the boy- er, two boys.

00o00

"Did you know what happened when I turned fourteen?" Shogo asked the bastard blonde as he fingered the sharp, blood covered rock in his right hand. "I received word that the Yondaime had ripped through an orphanage near, killing almost every single person; man, woman and child…even infants, all because they had let three of our Nin spend the night in the basement. I think all of those who died at his hands in that place would be happy to know that Iwa's finally getting their revenge!" He took the rock and raised it until it was above the boy's head. "There's a saying…and I'm going to fuck it up…but then 'A tooth for a tooth'…" he smiled at the boy for a second, not saying a thing. He felt the boy's fear…and relished in it. "…and…'An eye for an eye!" with that, Shogo brought the sharp blood covered rock down right behind the blonde's left eye and pried. The boy tried to scream…but with the red haired man's left hand around his throat, he was having a hard enough time trying to breathe.

"And I think your eyes will do nicely!"

00oo00

"Mizuki! You're back!" Iruka greeted the silver haired man as he reentered the room. "Do they know where Naruto is?"

"Nope…" Mizuki said in a calm voice. Iruka eyed him oddly. "They abandoned him not even ten minutes after they entered the forest." Iruka's eyes couldn't get much wider than what they were now. "Turns out they didn't like Naruto's prank earlier today and decided to leave him alone in the forest."

"Shit!" Iruka swore. "Our jobs are on the line here, Mizuki!" Mizuki nodded. He knew that the Hokage wouldn't like this. Two members of Konohagakure's academy leaving another member alone in the forest was bad enough, but when that person was the village's Jinchuuriki… "Stay here." Iruka ordered. "I have to report this." With that, the brown haired man left the room in a cloud of smoke.

"Of course you do…" Mizuki sneered quietly. _'Should just let the bastard die.'_

00oo00

He didn't have to worry about the boy fleeing now. Not with his nearly severed right hand and his left hand hovering over his left eye socket. _'I've waited so long for this! All of Iwa has!'_ Shogo told himself as he tore the boy's pants off with an animalistic vigor. "I'm going to make you beg for your mother…" the red haired man said softly. "Then, I'm going to have a little chat with her…Show her your broken, mutilated body…and then…hehehe!"

The boy tried to say something, but he had for all intents and purposes, basically crushed his throat. Shogo smiled. "I wish I had a camera…I'd show Eri…She'd be proud…" With that, he slowly started cutting the boy's left leg…Slicing it in numerous areas. Each time he went over a cut, he dug deeper with the rock…And every time he went deeper, he boy started to shivered in pain…Shogo wanted to savor the feeling…So he went slower…and slower.

00oo00

"I don't care who's fault it is, just find him!" Sarutobi barked to his Jonin and Chuunin. "Bring him back to me…If he is the cause of all this mess, I'll deal with him myself!" the shinobi present nodded. "Now, go!"

00oo00

"This little piggy went to the market…"

_Thunk!_

"This little piggy stayed home…"

_Thunk!_

"This little piggy had roast beef…"

_Thunk!_

"This little piggy had none…"

_Thunk!_

"And this…And this little piggy went WEE!"

_Thunk!_

"WEE!"

_Thunk!_

"WEE!"

_Thunk!_

"ALL-_Thunk-_ THE-_Thunk-_WAY-_Thunk-_HO-_Thunk-_OO-_Thunk-_OO-_Thun-Ting-_OO-_TingTing-_OO-_TingTingTing-_OME! ARRRGGG!" _-SQUELCH!_

00oo00

"Up there!" a dark haired man shouted over the thunder, pointing at a small dark opening in the rock face of the mountain side. "The cave!" he and two other people, their features distorted by the torrents of rain as it fell on them and the ground.

00oo00

"_Haah…Haah…Haah…Hah…Hah…Hah…Haa~"_ Shogo smiled as he admired his work. The boy no longer had any toes. At least not on his left foot. The boy's pinky toe was completely gone…ribbons and blood were only indication that the boy had ever had one in the first place. The boy's left eye? In his mad rage of toe chopping, he seemed to have stabbed the organ. Oh well… "No sense in wasting an eye…" Shogo stated calmly. Looking at the boy, he grabbed his mouth and slapped him awake. "Don't you think?" the boy was on the brink of death…But Shogo wanted more. "Let's not waste it totally…" scooping the bleeding, dirty organ, with his right hand, Shogo forced the boy's mouth open, which turned out to be easy. "Eat up…it'll be the last meal you ever have!" he jammed the organ inside the boy's mouth and forced it shut with a strong uppercut.

He waited…And waited… And waited…Until…

"I said…EAT IT!"

00oo00

"_I said…EAT IT!"_

The three searchers jumped at the volume of the voice that came from deeper within the cave. The three turned to each other and nodded. They quickly lunged forward. It wasn't too much longer until they found who they had been sent out to find…

…beaten and dirty…being punched by a red haired man. They didn't need to wait any longer to figure out what had been happening.

A white eyed man darted up behind the man and with one touch to back of the head, knocked the man out.

As the red haired man fell, the three rescuers met a sight they had only seen on battlefields.

The blonde boy's right hand was hanging on to his wrist by nerves and small wires made of skin and muscle. From his wrist, they, as a group looked at the boy's left leg. His pants were gone, a quick scan around the cave found them against the opposite wall. The boy's leg looked like it had been in a metal working lathe. Circular incisions that ran all around his leg as well as puncture wounds that worked their way down towards the boy's foot...he had no toes on his left foot…they were lying in a small pile next to the red haired man, all save for the smallest toe, which looked like it had been hit with a sledge hammer.

The last thing they looked at, was the boy's left eye…It was currently falling out of the boy's mouth with several teeth and a wash of blood and spit. It was far beyond repair. The left eye socket was heavily scarred as well. It had not been a one hit wonder, so as to speak.

"We need to get him to the hospital, fast." The white eyed man barked. "One of you, Shinji, take the boy. Ganju, head to the Hokage's office, stat. I'll take this thing to Hokage-Sama." the two men nodded. Ganju, a man with brown hair, left instantly; while Shinji bent down and scooped the boy up before teleporting him and the boy back to the village.

Looking at the red haired man, the white eyed man sneered and kicked the red head in the ribs. "Not even that child deserved what you did to him. I can only hope Kami-Sama has mercy on your soul; because neither the Hokage nor Ibiki will." With that said, the white eyed man grabbed the man, and shunshined back to the village…

End

* * *

There you all have it, the beginning of the new Acidic Properties; and as I stated in my note, the beginning was bloody…And yes, if I had really truly wanted to do so, I could have made it even longer and more detailed…but I decided not to. After all, the story doesn't revolve around his attack; but what comes after and how he copes.

Yes, I know the chapter seems kind of rushed…Sorry…Wanted to get it done and over with. Also, the white eyed man was not Hiashi…just to let you all know before I get requests for Naruto/Hinata pairings…This author does not write them.

This will partially follow Canon. The teams, for the most part, will follow the timeline and the Canon sequence. However, there will be divergences.

Naruto's attack style has been already selected, though changes can occur and his weapon of choice has already picked out, minus a few additions that will follow in later chapters. For anyone who may be wondering what kind of combatant Naruto will be…will just have to wait and see…

The next chapter will contain a time-skip almost from the get go with a couple of flash backs, placed when needed. Also, this story will have training regimes, but those will only last a chapter or two, so don't worry.

Now, on to other issues…

I stated that my work for my other stories had been erased. That means there probably won't be a new chapter coming out for those stories, minus _Heir of Uzu_. However, to keep my brain thinking and working, I have started to write a Tome of sorts. _The Attack of the Mental Rodents_ is a story made up of several ideas of mine, mainly for Naruto though some other genres may be placed in as such; that have never made it.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner rather than later.

Death's Spear…


	2. Chapter 2

Acidic Properties

* * *

Since I don't like to read overly emotional stories, I thought I'd tell you all this: For a while, Naruto will be depressed to the point of thinking about suicide. At this point in his life, I'm trying to model Naruto after Lt. Dan from _Forest Gump_. For a while after Lt. Dan lost his legs, he was extremely depressed, over that and the fact that he didn't die in the war(kind of odd, but hey…family traditions are sometimes odd…). After a while though, he got better. Same thing's probably going to happen with Naruto. Hell, it has to.

No…I haven't been watching any dark movies, or movies in the dark. This is just something that kind of had to happen, maybe not in such an extreme way, but it had to happen.

Reposted 10/12/10

* * *

"So…This is what Yugao has been doing for the last year and a half then." A silver haired man stated silently as he glanced out the window behind Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk. "I thought she was sent on a long term mission." Hiruzen nodded, standing to the silver haired man's right, looking out the same window as the silver haired man.

"Well, I needed someone to watch and help take care of Naruto back then. She also happened to be the first person to ask me for a mission after I started looking for a capable care-taker. Besides, it wasn't as if she could take anything more strenuous at the time, seeing as she had a sprained ankle." The silver haired man nodded. "She's one of the more intelligent members of the corps., she actually knows her limits. She didn't argue about the job back then."

"…Has she since her leg healed?" Hiruzen shook his head.

"No…" the silver haired man glanced at him. "She has stated how boring he can be to watch, but she has since then also thanked me for asking her. Apparently, she's polished her swordsmanship since she started, as well as learned a few new jutsu." The silver haired man nodded again.

"I'm guessing the money helps, too." Hiruzen turned and stared at him silently for several moments. "Anyway, I need to ask her…And you, Hokage-Sama, a question." The elderly man slowly nodded for the silver haired man to continue. "The mission to Snow…I'd like for her to accompany me."

"Do you really need that much help?" The silver haired man nodded.

"I'd like to think that I could do it by myself, however, I have no clue how many of the shinobi there are still loyal to their previous leader or have joined Doto. I'm sure I can retrieve the Princess by myself, but if there are more than a dozen shinobi on my trail, it's going to be very risky. Plus, if Yugao is this good with a child whose dreams were stolen by a monster of a man, maybe she can keep the Princess from turning into a basket case." Hiruzen sighed.

"If I wasn't afraid of what Naruto might do without her, I'd say yes. However, Yugao has yet to miss a day with him. She's almost like an older sister, maybe even a mother figure, to him now. Without her around…" The silver haired man nodded hesitantly. "However, I do believe that it's about time he learned how to get around without someone to help him twenty-four-seven. You can ask her, and if she has any questions, I'll talk to her." Turning away from the man, the elderly man walked over to his desk and took a seat in his chair. "When do you need an answer?"

"Yesterday at the earliest, tomorrow by the latest." The silver haired man supplied. "If I wasn't so apprehensive towards the amount of enemies that may be facing me, I would have left the same night I was given the assignment." Hiruzen nodded.

"…From what she's reported, Naruto is usually in bed by nine. Wait for her outside the boy's apartment, but not on the property. She won't leave if she senses you there." The silver haired man nodded. "And, Kakashi…Even if she doesn't accept, don't fail this mission." The younger man nodded before bowing and leaving the room, leaving the Hokage by himself to think about things.

'…_Yes…I think it's time he start to rely on himself again.'_ He thought to himself, thinking about the purple haired woman helping the young blonde. _'Yugao won't be around to help him forever.'_

00oo00

She had sensed a presence outside Naruto's apartment a little while ago, maybe ten minutes or so, but it had since then moved further. It was faint, but it was still there. _'It doesn't seem malicious.'_ Yugao told herself as she waited for her charge to get done in the bathroom. _'At least he can wipe himself now…'_ she sighed as she remembered the first couple of months after she accepted the mission to watch over and help the boy out.

"…_I don't like this…" Naruto muttered softly as he held himself up on a metal bar as Yugao cleaned him. "I'd rather wear a diaper."_

"_That can be arranged." Yugao replied, sneering at the sight. Naruto growled at her._

"…_I feel so useless…" Not to mention embarrassed. Yugao could relate to the boy, only slightly. Sure, she couldn't do much with a sprained ankle, but she could wipe her own rear-end. Naruto on the other hand couldn't, also, unlike her sprained ankle; he wouldn't heal to the point where he could do what he once did by himself. Some things he may be able to do again with practice, but not everything._

"_Hokage-Sama told me that he's hired some people to replace some of the utilities in your apartment." Yugao told him as she pulled his underwear and pants up for him. Turning him around, she looked into his almost lifeless eyes. She wanted to sigh. "So maybe, in the near future, you'll be able to go to the bathroom by yourself again." The boy only nodded._

"Yugao-San." The purple haired kunoichi blinked before turning towards the restroom. Seeing her young blonde charge, she smiled at him softly. "I'm ready for bed now."

"Did you brush your teeth?" Yugao asked. Naruto nodded. "Alright." The boy pushed himself forward across the wooden floor and stopped at the bed. Moving aside, Yugao allowed Naruto to grab hold of the bed with his left hand and pull himself up. "You know, you could just jump over." Sometimes she wondered if he remembered that he could still use his right leg. The boy glared up at her.

"Because I feel like it." Yugao sighed. Sometimes her charge could be very annoying. "And besides, I jumped over last night." She cocked her head at him.

"When did you do that? You pulled yourself up into bed last night too."

"After you left…" seeing her expression, Naruto elaborated slightly; "I had to pee…" she silently mouthed her understanding and nodded.

After pulling himself up and into his bed, Yugao tucked him in and made sure he was ready to sleep. After receiving a vigorous nod, which usually meant that he was getting fed up with her asking questions, Yugao sighed.

"Well," she said, walking towards the boy's door. "I'll see you later. Night." The boy nodded slowly and turned over in his bed. With another sigh, Yugao shut off the light and backed out of the room, pulling the door almost closed behind her as she did.

Grabbing her bag, which was full of things she might need while watching over the blonde boy, she reached the front door and began to open it. After she was outside, she turned around, shut the door and locked it.

"You can come out now." She said as she placed the key back into left pant pocket. There was a slight ruffling of some leaves and then there was a light 'thump' behind her. Turning around, the purple haired woman found her eyes widening on their own as she gazed at her old superior. "Hatake-San." She greeted softly. The silver haired man nodded his greeting back. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you." He stated monotonously.

"About what?" she asked, thinking that the man might berate her for wanting to watch over the young boy inside the apartment. Back in Anbu, he would berate others for their mistakes, or what he perceived as mistakes. He didn't respond immediately. Instead he looked at the apartment door for a moment before looking back at her. She eyed him cautiously. It wasn't a secret that the silver haired man didn't really like Naruto. He put up with him, but that was it.

"…You seem to be doing a good job with him." He remarked, which made her narrow her eyes slightly. "I saw him, a few days after the attack; he didn't look like he wanted to live anymore."

"Yeah, well;" Yugao started, "he's not one hundred percent better either. He might be able to act like he's happy, but you know what they say: Eyes are the window to your soul." The man nodded in understanding. "But you didn't come to check up on him, did you? You said so yourself, you came to ask me a question. What is it?" The man shuffled slightly.

"I need your help." She cocked an eyebrow. "Tomorrow night I am leaving on a mission, to Snow country." Yugao raised her other eyebrow, this time in confusion. Kakashi elaborated. "There has been an unforeseen shift in power there, and the country is in peril. Someone sent a mission that just so happened to land on my desk. It seems that the brother of the ruler in Snow decided he no longer wanted to live in a country with no clout to throw around. He over threw his older brother and killed him. Now he has his niece held hostage in their palace. My mission is to retrieve her as quickly as I can. That's where I need help."

"Why?" Yugao asked, shifting her weight from one leg to the other, moving her hips as she did so. "You've done stuff like this by yourself before." The silver haired man nodded.

"I have, however, there wasn't a mysterious amount of enemy nin that I had to go through. We don't have a lot of information about Snow country and its military power. I don't know if I'm going to effectively kidnapping the girl from two or three nin, or an army of nin. And while it's somewhat easy for me to go up against several ninja alone, this time I'll have a nearly catatonic girl to watch out for as well. That's where I need help."

"The girl?" Yugao asked. Kakashi Nodded.

"The report stated that she's literally a basket case at the moment. She doesn't know what's going on. All she knows is that her father was killed by her uncle but she doesn't know why. The mission stated that the reports stopped coming forth after the second week after the upheaval. My guess is that the spy or spies in the palace have either been jailed, or killed. I went to the Hokage earlier today, to ask for advice when I saw you wheeling Naruto around. You seemed to have done a good job keeping him safe and kept him from killing himself." Yugao cut him off with a snort.

"And you want me to come with you to make sure that the girl doesn't try to kill herself?" the silver haired man nodded. "Well, first off, I'll have you know that I didn't 'change' him in anyway shape or form. He's just become accustomed to me and having someone around to help him out. Deep down inside, he's still the same boy I met that day in the hospital."

"But you kept him from killing himself." Kakashi pointed out, and while she didn't nod, Yugao had to silently agree with the man. "That's all I need." He said. "And maybe a bit of back up, seeing as we have no clue how many enemy nin are working for Doto."

"…So all I have to do is watch your back and keep an eye on the girl? Nothing more?" Kakashi nodded.

"Actually, I was just going to have you watch my back while we're escaping. I have a plan to keep some of the enemy busy, but I doubt it will keep them all off my back."

"What kind of plan?" Yugao asked.

"I'm going to set fire to the palace after I retrieve the girl. However, from the maps we've been able to find, the palace is on a cliff facing; and-" Yugao interrupted the silver haired nin.

"And with the fire, anyone could see you making off with the girl?" Kakashi nodded. "I don't know. Sounds like you could do it all by yourself." Kakashi frowned. "But why me? Other than the fact that I've been able to keep Naruto from committing suicide, I'm not the strongest person in the village? Gai or Anko would be better choices."

"Anko isn't in the village at the moment, and Gai…While he's good with kids, he's not the best thing to introduce to a mentally and emotionally scarred person." Yugao mentally berated herself for that. Gai was a nice guy and all, but he was just a little bit over zealous sometimes. Yugao didn't respond right away. "Hokage-Sama has already said that you could go. In fact, even though he didn't say it, he thinks that Naruto needs a couple of days alone." Yugao stared at him in disbelief for several moments, however she nodded slowly.

"I wasn't supposed to be here all the time, just until he got better;" she started "which he is now, at least physically anyway." Kakashi nodded. "And I haven't been able to test my skills in a while." Again Kakashi nodded. "But…I haven't missed a day here since I started. I don't know what Naruto would do if I wasn't here, you know?" Kakashi nodded again, even though she was pretty sure he didn't know what she was talking about. She had been a near _constant_ thing in his life over the past year and a half…And even though he was better physically, mentally, he was only beginning to heal…if he had begun to heal mentally at all.

"Hokage-Sama said he would talk it over with you if you had any questions." Yugao nodded. "But again, I think that Hokage-Sama wants him to start to learn how to be on his own again." Yugao didn't nod at this, but she thought about it. "If you do decide to join me, meet me at the eastern gate by three tomorrow morning." Kakashi didn't wait for a nod of confirmation and turned around and jumped up into the trees, leaving Yugao alone.

'…_He'll be okay for one mission, right?'_ she asked herself. With a sigh, Yugao re-adjusted her bag and left the vicinity of the apartment. "I guess I could go and talk to Hokage-Sama about it." She whispered to herself.

00oo00

Hiruzen looked up from the last few papers on his desk and met the gaze of the young purple haired caretaker of the now lame Uzumaki Naruto. He smiled slightly before greeting her. "Hello, Uzuki-San. How can I help you?" Not that he didn't know what she was here for already, but still; it was better to ask.

The young woman bowed her head slightly before continuing. "Hokage-Sama." She started. "My old Anbu captain, Hatake Kakashi greeted me outside of Naruto's apartment a little under an hour ago." Hiruzen nodded. "He told me about the mission he's taking. Snow country." Again, Hiruzen nodded. "He asked me to go with him…He also said that you wanted me to go."

Hiruzen sighed slightly. _'I'm going to have to speak with Kakashi after he returns.'_ He never said that he wanted her to go. Not outwardly at least. He _wished_ that she would go, but only because he wanted Naruto to start to rely on himself more. "I never said that I wanted you to go." Yugao looked at him strangely. "I said that it was about time that Naruto began to rely on himself more. It's been over a year since the incident. While I understand that there are still some things he can't do by himself, there are far more things he can do now that he couldn't do when you started to help him out." Yugao nodded. "But, Kakashi does make an interesting argument. When you first started dealing with Naruto, we couldn't leave any sort of sharp object within the room. I remember two accords where he tried to stab himself through the throat."

"You reported to me that he tried to commit suicide three times after you started to watch over him. Since the last report however, there have been no more reports." Yugao nodded. "In fact, there haven't been any reports since the beginning of this year that involve him talking about killing himself. You changed him, even if it was a slight change."

"Kakashi was hoping that I could keep this girl, this princess from killing herself…As well as watch his back while he makes his getaway." Hiruzen nodded.

"Snow country isn't known for its shinobis' strength. They don't have too many who are over C-Rank, but there are a few who have reached B and even one has been reported as an A-Rank ninja. Plus, Doto has been investing heavily into 'Chakra Armor'." Yugao furrowed her brows in thought.

"Isn't that one of things that Orochimaru had been working on when he was still loyal?" Hiruzen nodded slightly. His best pupil had always been a sore subject to converse with anyone about.

"Yes, however his lust for immortality and power halted him from continuing his research. If he had continued, I'm sure that we'd be a burning pit by now. Unfortunately, it seems that he wasn't the only one experimenting with the idea." Hiruzen had no doubt that his once prized pupil would forgot to come back and 'teach' him just how much more superior he was to everyone in Konohagakure. The only person in the village who could stop him easily was Uchiha Itachi…Only he was no longer a member of the village. He had killed his clan all save for two members. His younger brother and two infants. Unfortunately one of the infants had died only a few months after the disaster. Now only Sasuke and his younger cousin, Uchiha Enka. With a shake of his head, Hiruzen looked into the purple haired woman's eyes. "These few B and single A-Rank nin are the only ones that Kakashi may have trouble with. I'd feel safer, as would he, if he had some back up."

Yugao nodded slowly. "How long would this mission take?" Hiruzen sighed.

"I have no idea." He stated slowly. "It could be as quick as a week, or it could take three weeks or more. It depends on how well the castle is guarded and how many guards the girl has. You'd have to figure out the guard rotation amongst several other things, like where to infiltrate the castle and what floor and wing the girl is being kept." Yugao nodded.

"And…Who will help Naruto? He can't very well get his own groceries and I know he needs more milk and some eggs. Plus, who will help him getting in and out of his chair? I mean he can do it on his own, but it will take a lot longer." _'If he secures himself in the chair, it will.'_ But then again, she had hopefully drove it into his mind that he needed to be secured when he was using his chair unless he was in his apartment.

"I will personally buy his groceries for the next few weeks." Hiruzen stated. "But I don't think he'll have any troubles with his chair. Besides, he has to learn how to use it by himself, including how to get on and strapping himself in and getting out." Yugao didn't nod, but she didn't shake her head. "He'll be fine. I'll tell him what's going on, he'll understand. He's a smart boy."

'…_I…I guess so…'_ Yugao told herself.

"Besides, I'm sure that Hayate would be willing to look after Naruto from time to time." Yugao had forgotten about Hayate for a little while there. She had been so busy dealing with Naruto that for a while she didn't think that they were going to make it. However, the sickly young man had finally come to an understanding that the boy needed a lot of help…That, and she had used the 'Orphan' card. Hayate was an orphan just like Naruto, and Hayate had a soft spot for orphans. However, due to Hayate's illness and his missions, Yugao really didn't have any time to get the two used to each other.

"Mm." Yugao nodded. "But Naruto doesn't really know Hayate…And then there's the fact that Hayate goes to the hospital at least one day a week and usually spends about six to seven hours there at a time. And!" Hiruzen stopped her rant with a hand. Yugao had the decency to blush slightly.

"I'm sure it will be fine." Hiruzen stated after the young woman calmed down some. "However, you need to decide soon. I won't think of you as any less of a kunoichi if you decline."

'_But Kakashi would.'_ Yugao thought somewhat bitterly. "…I'll do it." She said softly. "I haven't been outside the village for a long time. I need to make sure I'm not rusty." Hiruzen sighed.

'_Sparring would tell you if you're rusty or not.'_ He thought to himself but nodded nonetheless. "If that is what you want to do." Yugao nodded. "Meet Kakashi at the eastern gate at three am." Yugao nodded. "Now, I suggest you go home and get some sleep. Three am will come quick." Yugao bowed respectfully before turning and leaving the room.

As soon as she closed the doors, Hiruzen got up out of his chair, turned around and looked out of the window behind him and stared out at the sleeping village. _'I hope this is the right thing to do.'_ His mind said that it was, but there was an odd and unfriendly feeling in his stomach.

00oo00  
The Next Morning – Naruto's Apartment  
00oo00

Hiruzen stared at the young blonde sitting across from him at the breakfast table, a worried expression on his face. So far, the boy had taken the news of his caretaker jumping ship for a mission well…Too well for his liking. The boy hadn't said a thing about Yugao's leaving him by himself for who knows how long. In fact, he looked almost happy. "Are…Are you okay, Naruto?" he asked the blonde. Said boy just stared at him with an indescribable expression.

"Why wouldn't I be?" the boy replied. "She went on a mission, who cares?" It was hidden well, but Hiruzen could clearly detect the cynical tone in the boy's words.

"Well, she isn't going to be here for a couple of weeks and she wanted me to check up on you, you know; to make sure that you're doing okay." Hiruzen explained, not commenting on the boy's tone. The blonde scoffed softly and used his left hand to steady himself as he stood up on his right leg. He nodded to the pair of pants he was wearing and then took his left hand off the table and tugged on his shirt slightly.

"I haven't needed help dressing myself for a while." The boy commented. "Yugao-San likes to put my clothes out so that it doesn't waste too much time in the morning; after all, classes are important." Hiruzen nodded slowly.

"Well, you're right about that, Naruto-Kun; your lessons are important." The boy chuckled darkly, and Hiruzen cocked an eyebrow in question.

"And why, Jiji, would I need lessons?" the boy asked, a dark smirk on his tanned face. "It's not like anyone around here's going to hire a damned cripple like me."

"Watch your language, Naruto." The elderly man eyed the boy with a scowl. The boy opened his mouth before Hiruzen could say another word.

"I can't watch my language, Jiji;" Naruto began with a smirk, "words, unless written on something, can't be seen; so therefore, it is impossible for me to watch it." Hiruzen dipped his head and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"Anyway, you know I'm right, Jiji, so stop trying to butter me up." The boy continued. "No one in this village will hire a crippled freak like me, and not even you, the great 'Sandiame' Hokage can do anything about it."

"…You're right." The elderly man nodded. "I can't make anyone hire you." The boy nodded slightly. "But, you can still make a name for yourself."

"Like how?" the boy asked, eyebrow cocked. Hiruzen waited for a brief moment, taking a breath before answering the boy.

"You could always write a book, Naruto." The boy stopped him with a loud scoff, shaking his head as he did so.

"A book? About what? How my life would have been in I hadn't been such idiot and pranked my teammates? Becoming a shinobi, getting stronger, serving the village until I die, finding a girl to fall in love with and make like a pair of rabbits in matting season?" the Hokage felt his face heat up slightly.

"Where did you hear that?" he asked softly. Naruto shrugged his shoulders before responding.

"Around town." The blonde replied nonchalant. "You tend to hear a lot while being pushed around in a wheelchair like an infant in a carriage; you know." Hiruzen didn't respond for about a minute as he fixed his head around the idea. Finally, he shook his head and began to speak.

"You don't have to write about that, Naruto-Kun." Hiruzen began. "You could write about other things, like people having grand adventures, or a mystery." Naruto rolled his eye in irritation.

"Oh yeah, that sounds swell, Hokage-Sama!" the boy snipped. _"The Adventure of Cripple-Boy and his Caretaker In: The Search for the Toilet of Never-Filth!_, I can see it now."

"Not like that, Naruto." Hiruzen retorted dryly. "Like people going off to fight mythical beasts, like dragons or saving an entire world from destruction at the hands of a crazy mad man." Naruto just stared at the older man with an expression that clearly stated how lame those ideas sounded. "Well, you could always try a friendship story-" the blonde snorted loudly and then began to cackle almost mockingly.

"Oh yes, Hokage-_Sama!_" the boy began, leveling the older man with a head cocked expression, a sarcastic smirk on his face as he stared at him. "A story about _friendship!_ I'm sure that'll go over well with everyone!"

"You don't know, it could do very well." The sarcastic look on the boy's face vanished instantly and a glowering expression appeared. The boy slammed his left hand, palm open, on the table, making several objects jump up off of the table, levitate for a split second, before the objects fell back to the table.

"How can I write about something I have no knowledge or experience about?" the boy snarled. "I know I told you back before that red haired piece of shit sliced into pieces that I have no friends! Why the fuck would have changed now?" Hiruzen was too stunned to say anything. "You think that there's someone else who comes here? You and Yugao are the only people who come over! Not even the Ichiraku come over and say 'Hi'!"

"B-But what about your friendship with Yugao-San?" the elderly man asked the raging child.

"Friendship?" the blonde asked, his tone quieter than before, but still full of anger. "What friendship?" he asked. "She sees me as a long term mission and nothing more! When something else pops up, I'm sure she'll leave just like she did last night!" Hiruzen just shook his head, wordlessly.

'_You _do_ care, about her…'_ he thought to himself as the boy's answer to his earlier question replayed in his head. _'You just don't realize it yet.'_ Besides himself, the boy had never truly had a friend. He thought that the Ichiraku were the boy's friends, and they still might be; but what the blonde child never took into consideration, was the fact that the Ichiraku were extremely busy, and there were only two of them working there; but obviously the boy didn't think that was the reason. "No, Naruto, she wouldn't-" the blonde interrupted him again, once again with his left hand smacking against the table top. The boy looked up at him, fury in his eye and then opened his mouth to speak.

"Then why did she?" he asked.

"It's not easy to describe why, Naruto-Kun; but for the most part, she wants to test her abilities in the field." The boy snorted angrily, his face full of rage and sarcasm.

"Bullshit!" Naruto snapped. "She doesn't want to be here day after day, babysitting a worthless cripple like me; and you know it!"

"Now that's enough, Naruto!" Hiruzen snapped, standing to his fullest and glaring down at the slightly shocked boy. "She does not see you as a _'worthless cripple!'_ And she most definitely did not leave to get away from you!"

"Yeah right!" The boy snapped back. Hiruzen closed his eyes and counted to five before saying anything more.

"If she didn't care for you, Naruto, then why would she have asked me to either watch over you myself or for someone else to come and help you out while she's away?"

"…" It was soft. Too soft for Hiruzen's old ears to hear what the boy muttered, his head held low, eye staring at his lap.

"What did you say?" Hiruzen asked, hoping to hear what the boy said.

"…_get out."_

"…" Hiruzen stared at the boy in shock for quite a while. The boy's response was not what he had been either hoping for, or expecting.

"I said,_ GET OUT!"_

Slowly, the Sandiame turned around and headed for the front door, his head downcast as he shuffled away.

Hiruzen didn't return until later that night, several bags of groceries in his hands. He had hoped that the blonde would have calmed down enough to see to reason, but it was a hope that was just a bit too high…

00oo00  
Two Days Later  
00oo00

Gekko Hayate stared down at the blonde boy, his on-again slash off-again girlfriend's charge, who glared up at him from his place on the couch, a book in his left hand.

"Good afternoon, Naruto-Kun." He greeted the young boy softly as he stepped through the front door. Hopefully, the blonde didn't remember the event that had occurred nearly a year ago when he came over in search of his best friend. However, the look in the boy's eye was enough for the Chuunin to tell that the boy did in fact remember that event. "How are you?"

"Your eyes look a bit green today, Gekko-San;" the boy started, a smirk on his face as he began. "still jealous that Yugao likes me better than you, eh?"

'_I thought Hokage-Sama said that he wasn't happy with Yu-chan?'_ the swordsman asked himself. _'Then again,'_ the man began, taking a moment to both cough and remember the boy's words to him when he jumped down Yugao's throat back then; _'he's quick to insult anyone who's pissed him off…'_

Apparently, the blonde had a crush on his best friend, or so the sickly man told himself; and hated him for yelling at her for spending too much time with the boy.

Ignoring the comment slash greeting, the swordsman looked at the boy in the eye, before asking the question his best friend had asked Hokage-Sama to ask him to ask the boy. "…How are you?" The boy, who had been smirking slightly when he insulted the swordsman, moaned slightly before silently mocking his question. He was going to ask a third time, but the blonde finally spoke up.

"I'm doing okay, Urayamashigaru-San." The blonde answered. Hayate's right eye twitched slightly at the nickname, and the blonde seemed to have picked up on it, because his smirk was back on his face milliseconds later. "Now that I answered your question, are you going to leave? I don't want to get sick." The blonde scrunched up his nose at the man, making fun of his illness. Hayate felt the urge to smack the blonde…And was successful in restraining himself from doing so.

"No." the Chuunin replied, instantly making the boy's face droop. "I'm not going to leave yet."

"Pah, fine." The blonde stated. "Don't think I'm going to talk to you though."

"That's fine." Hayate said with a shrug. "I don't really want to talk to you either."

"Then why don't you leave, then?"

"Because, both Hokage-Sama _and_ Yugao-Chan; asked me to spend some time with you." The swordsman replied with a shrug. "Don't know why they would though," he added, earning a twitch from the boy's left ear; "you don't seem to need me for anything, and you don't want to talk to me."

"Then leave."

"I can't." the blonde twitched before glaring at the man as best he could with his right eye only, head still facing the book in his arms. It was creepy. Thankfully for Hayate, the boy stopped glaring at him and went back to reading his book, or at least, it seemed that the boy was reading it, seeing as he flipped the page.

For nearly ten minutes the swordsman stood in the small apartment. With deep breath, which turned into a deep sigh, he went over and grabbed a chair and turned it around, back facing the blonde and sat down facing the boy, his arms under his chin resting on the back of the chair. "So…Is it good?" he asked nonchalantly. The boy seemingly ignored him. "Adventure…Mystery…Suspense…"

"What are you gibbering about?" the blonde asked him, eying him over the book in his arms. Hayate pointed at the book and answered the boy.

"The book." He started. "What kind is it?"

"Why do you care?" the boy snapped.

"Well, I thought that maybe we'd have some of the same tastes in books." The boy snorted at that. "What's so funny?"

"You and me…We _can't_ have the same tastes in books." The boy replied.

"Oh?" the man asked. "And why can't we?"

"Because you're a jealous prick and I'm not." The Chuunin sweat dropped at the proclamation. _'No matter how smart he is, he's still a kid…And kid knowledge is different to grown up knowledge…'_ the memory of his best friend tell him about one of her days with the blonde haired brat floated to the surface of his mind.

"Is that so?" the boy nodded, staring at the Chuunin with his one eye. Hayate ignored the urge to flinch. "Well then, I guess you won't mind answering my question about what kind of book it is, then."

Naruto narrowed his eye at him before scowling. "Fine…" he said softly. "…It's an adventure story." Hayate nodded.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, kid…" he began, pausing to cough and then later, to smirk at the blonde; "but I also like adventure stories." The boy's jaw dropped slightly.

"H-How?" the blonde asked.

"Hmm?" Hayate faked a question.

"How can you like the same kind of stories as me? We're totally different!" the boy nearly shouted.

"How so?" Hayate asked.

"You're a jealous prick and I'm-" the blonde cut off there. Hayate eyed him oddly, an eyebrow raised in confusion. "Never mind." The boy said softly. Hayate didn't pursue the reason behind the boy's hesitation. The boy went back to reading the book, but Hayate noticed something.

"You don't like that book?" the boy shook his head.

"No…I like it." He said slowly, reading the pages as he flipped through them. "It's just I've read it before. It's boring now." Hayate nodded.

"Tell you what," he began, earning the boy's attention for a few seconds; "I have some adventure books that I haven't read in a while. Would you like to barrow a few?" the boy didn't respond.

"I thought you didn't like me?" the boy asked softly. Hayate didn't lie when he nodded in return. "Then why?"

"Well, you're right, Naruto. I don't like you." The boy glared at him heatedly. "You're a pretty mean kid."

"Not like you're any better, Urayamashigaru-San." The boy bit back, scowling at him.

"Well, we didn't get off on the right foot either. I yelled at you, you made fun of me…Neither of us have forgiven the other or apologized." Hayate began. "But it doesn't mean that I can't be nice to you once in a while." The boy's scowl only deepened.

"Because _Yugao-Chan_ asked you to?" Hayate noticed that there was an odd emotion hidden in the boy's tone, but didn't stop to figure it out. Instead, he proceeded to answer the boy's question with a shake of his head.

"No, not because Yugao asked me to." The swordsman replied. "Because it's not healthy to be angry forever, and, you look like you're really bored."

"So, you're being nice to me because one, it's not healthy for me; and two, because I look bored?" the Chuunin nodded. Naruto just stared. "Whatever."

"Alright then." Hayate said, standing up. "I'll be back with some books tomorrow, then."

"Why not later today?" Naruto asked.

"Because, I have to a doctor's appointment that I have to go to." Hayate scowled distastefully at the thought. Naruto cocked an eyebrow.

"You don't like doctor's?" he asked. Hayate shrugged in response, moving towards the front door.

"I don't mind them." He stated. "It's just I hate how long they take."

"How long do stay for?" Hayate sighed slightly, making Naruto's wonder increase.

"Usually? Usually I stay for about four hours or so." Naruto felt his eye bulge. "But today is going to be longer. Much longer."

"How much longer?" Naruto asked. Hayate shrugged.

"About three or four hours longer." Naruto just blinked. Hayate fought himself to keep himself from chuckling at the broody boy. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow." Naruto nodded numbly as the Chuunin left the apartment. Before shutting the door behind himself, the swordsman turned back to look at the still slightly shocked boy, and cleared his throat. "You know," he began, the blonde looking up at him; "if you go outside and find a nice, quiet place to read; the adventures can seem almost life like." With that, the man left the apartment and shut the door behind him; leaving Naruto to ponder over his words.

'_Really?'_ the blonde asked himself, looking up at the window on the other side of the room, blinds pulled down and closed, keeping the sun out of his home.

End

* * *

This is a revamped chapter, in case you couldn't tell, or it you are reading it for the first time.

Urayamashigaru – Jealous/Envious

Questions and answers to those questions that will most likely arise:

**Is Naruto an ass like Sasuke?:** Well…Yeah. He is. Like I said, this isn't a happy-go-lucky story. It's more down to earth than my other stories. Plus, the kid(Naruto) wasn't only attacked had had his body basically destroyed by a psycho, but also lost his dream of becoming Hokage. Also, unlike other stories where he gains his new limbs/eye within the month or so after losing them; it's been over a year in this story; and no one wants to buy replacement limbs for a kid who is going to keep growing. It's a waste of money to do so. No, Chiyo will not be making an appearance as some sort of savior or mentor to Naruto. Don't like it? Tough.

**Why does Naruto seem so smart compared to the Canon!Naruto?:** Well, despite his beliefs, Naruto has nothing else to do other than learn and read; well, nothing else besides learning how to take care of himself without Yugao's help. While he's smarter than he is in the Canon! he's not super smart.

**Is Naruto going to be a God?:** Hell no! He's going to have powers that other people don't, and he's going to have enhanced strength. However, he's not going to be able to use a lot of jutsu, considering he lost his right hand and lower left leg. It's going to screw with his chakra control. Also, he's not going to be immune to genjutsu, that's a relatively huge area of Naruto!Fanfiction that isn't used to the fullest. Also, he's going to have problems, problems that will surface in/near the Chuunin Exams, and then will stay with him for the remainder of the story. He's going to have weaknesses.

**Will he be a brooding ass for the whole story?:** Well…I don't really know at the moment. Things change so it's nothing iron clad. Not yet at least. He's going to be an ass, bitter and cynical to others for a while…Why? Because not only does he hate pity, he also hates himself. To make himself feel better, he makes fun of people; shoving the abuse he took when he was younger aside and becoming a bully himself. Why? Because it's a way of coping with what has happened.

**Why does he hate himself?:** Because he couldn't do anything against Ban Shogo, and feels that he's useless. Also, he has someone taking care of him every single day. That's not going to make him feel any better.

**Does Naruto hate Yugao?:** Half and half. More will be explained later on, but he's on the fence with her.

**Does Naruto hate Hiruzen Sarutobi(The Sandiame Hokage)?:** Again, he's on the fence with him. A lot of things have changed since before the survival test, and like other people who have been in his position, he's looking through only one or two windows, not all of them like normal people.

**Naruto's feelings about Hayate?:** He doesn't like him. There will be a flashback later on, but they didn't get off on the right foot. While Hayate is trying to be nice to Naruto, Naruto doesn't believe him totally.

**Pairings?:** I'm not sure that there will be a pairing. Things are going to go downhill later on, things that will make a complete relationship with a girl/woman nigh on impossible. I **will** be adding girls from other periods in the Canon!timeline and from filler arcs; but there is no foreseeable pairing at the moment.

**Why did I revamp/add to this chapter?:** Because I couldn't make a chapter start out the way I thought and felt seemed right before. SO, instead of making you all wait forever, I revamped this one.

Now, I highly doubt that chapters will consistently reach over 7k in word length. I felt that this chapter needed to be longer, so I made it longer. Asking/begging/screaming-capsing for longer ones will be over looked.

Flames…I don't want them. If you can't off a reason why something is bad, be it a note or a chapter, then don't comment. I used to rage on people back when I was still rather immature, but after looking at it through their eyes, it's easier to just say: "Don't like it? Don't read it."

Oh! I changed my name...Yeah...Don't know why.


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